Battle of the Brains
by maganda
Summary: Two charmed cellphones. Multiple all-nighters. Who will win? Dramione AU.
1. 3:48am

Hello! I hope you enjoy this :) Please leave reviews, I'd love to improve! :) These questions are actual qs from quizarium, a bot from telegram (an app). I've been playing it a lot lately hehe.

This is an AU, but they're still students in Hogwarts. The entire "evil" aspect of HP is just gone. They're just…normal students (or yk, as normal as things get!) :) The characters will mostly likely be OOC. I promise it'll make sense..one day (ok pls im not the best writer out there help)

* * *

 **QUESTION [Religion]**

 ** _Tefnut was the Egyptian goddess of what_**

 **Draco:** STOP I KNOW THIS

 **Hermione:** Love

 **Hermione** STFU I KNOW THIS TOO

 **QUESTION [Religion]**

 ** _Tefnut was the Egyptian goddess of what_**

 ** _Hint: _ _ _ __**

 **Draco: rAIN**

 **Hermione: Rain**

 **✅ Yes, Rain!**

 **Draco Malfoy +2**

 **Draco:** what does STFU mean?

 **Hermione:** shut the fuck up

 **Draco:** jeez i was just asking

 **QUESTION [World History]**

 _ **What group used the agricultural method of terracing in the Andes Mountains during the 15th century?**_

 **Hermione:** no it literally stands for shut the fuck up

 **Draco:** oh

 **Hermione:** INCAS

 **✅ Yes, Incas!**

 **Hermione Granger +5**

 **Draco:** wait wait stop its 3 am we have class tomorrow

 **Hermione:** Go ahead and sleep it'll give me time to get ahead of u

 **Draco:** HEY

 **Which Latin American country is the home of The Tango?**

 **Hint: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

 **Hermione: ARGENTINA**

 **Draco: /stop**

 **...And the winners are:**

 **Draco Malfoy 23 points (answers: 21)**

 **Hermione Granger 22 points (answers:20)**

 **Hermione:** fuk u malfoy

 **Draco:** goodnight to you too


	2. Round 1

**Hello! Here's the first official chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it. :) I am open to comments and constructive criticism! if you have any suggestions on how I can improve, please leave them here yay. I'd love to get the chance to write better (English isn't my first language after all.) Okay I'll stop talking now, thank you again for being here hehe.**

 **(I don't own anything!)**

* * *

A sleep-deprived Malfoy made his way to the Slytherin table. Despite his current state, his face did not display any signs of pulling an all-nighter. His signature expression washed over his features. The table beside him, however, was occupied by a girl who could serve as a poster child for sleepless nights. Hermione couldn't concentrate, having stayed up late to play a few extra rounds to catch up to Malfoy's score.

Her friends have noticed, but they did not bother asking her why she looked like, for a lack of a better term, _a mess._ They figured that she stayed up late reading one of her books again.

"So…what's up?" The red-head inquired. Hermione lazily glanced at Ron. He looked the same as always, his flaming hair sitting on top of his head. Hermione remembered one of the questions from the game she and Malfoy have been playing every night.

"Did you know that less than two percent of the muggle world's population are gingers like you?" She said. Ron raised a brow, clearly confused.

Hermione sat up straighter, adjusting her robes.

"Did you call me a ginger? That's an ingredient right?" he asked. Hermione nodded, "Yes, isn't it fascinating? You also have blue eyes, that's a very rare combination." She finished.

Ron was blushing, confusing Hermione's sudden explosion of facts as some sort of teenage flirting. Hermione, however, did not notice. She just felt a certain twinge of pride, having beat Malfoy in the science round of the game.

"You're technically a mutant you know, something about a gene acting up. Right?" Harry, who was half-listening to their conversation, chipped in. He gave Hermione a look, asking for confirmation. Hermione flashed a grin and nodded.

"I don't know if I should feel special or attacked," Ron grumbled. The three broke into laughter and continued eating their meals. Light conversation filled the Great Hall. Eventually, the students started leaving for their respective classes.

The three went their separate ways, due to having different classes. It was an elective period, meaning the students were all jumbled up. Hermione had Muggle Studies ( _"I'd like to learn about it with a Wizard's perspective!")_ , Harry had Magical History ( _"It's better than Dance")_ , while Ron had Dance Lessons. (The ginger was one of the last ones to sign up, meaning he had no choice but to enlist in the last class available, which happened to be Dance).

Ron wasn't the only one who got unlucky in the sign-up process. Draco, who didn't take the "first-come-first-serve" thing seriously, had to choose between Dance or Muggle Studies.

That is how the Slytherin ended up walking to class with Hermione, who bumped into him on her way to their classroom.

"You look like shit." He said, grinning at her. The two sat down on their usual seats.

"I look like a _winner_." She mused.

Students began to fill in, talking amongst themselves while waiting for their Professor to show up. None of them gave the two a second glance, they assumed that their conversation was purely educational (and it technically was). None of the students cared about the unusual combination, unlike other students would. Hermione knew that Harry and Ron would freak out once they found out that she's _friends_ with Malfoy.

The door swung open, revealing a rather chipper Professor Lawrence. He made his way to his desk and greeted the class.

"The entire period will be dedicated to research, I trust that you will use your time wisely. You have the choice to remain here with your partner and write your report, or you may also go to the library to do additional research." Some students groaned upon hearing his instructions.

Hermione and Draco gave each other a knowing glance. _Another opportunity to play with that damn game,_ Malfoy thought. A major requirement for the subject was to choose a muggle item and to do a report on it with a partner. Surprisingly, the two agreed to become partners on their own. Mr. Lawrence gave the class an opportunity to choose because they were "mature enough anyway", but these so-called _mature_ students flocked to Hermione and Draco, hoping for the chance to leech of their work.

 _Hermione, overwhelmed with the sudden attention, didn't know who to say yes to. That was when Malfoy sauntered to her seat and coolly told everyone that they've already paired up. Their classmates were rather intimidated by his tone, so they all quickly dispersed and paired up with the remaining students._

 _Hermione was dumbfounded, why would Malfoy, someone who openly hated her, want to become partners on a year-long project?_

 _"Don't give me that look. I know that you're not the type to make someone else do all the work. Frankly, I don't want to be paired up with someone who doesn't care about their studies, and I know you don't either. This is the best case scenario for the both of us." He logically stated._

 _The brunette considered it and nodded. As much as she loved helping out others, she was tired of having lazy group mates or partners. Malfoy smirked, knowing that he made sense._

 _"Fine. One condition, stop being rude." She requested._

That was three months ago, and over the span of those months, the two have come to terms and formed some sort of truce.

Hermione's friends were still oblivious, comments were still exchanged whenever they would come across Malfoy and his friends, but they never noticed the absence of remarks about Granger or her "heritage", as they were absorbed in their own anger.

Some students left the classroom to go to the library, and a few stayed inside. Professor Lawrence accompanied the others and quietly shut the door behind him.

Draco whipped out his cellphone and turned it on, ready to tempt Granger into playing a couple of rounds with him. They were almost done with their report, but if they weren't so distracted by that app, they would've finished it ages ago if they really wanted to.

"Malfoy, I hope you turned that on for educational purposes only. We have to finish our RRL" She half-heartedly stated, fingers dancing on top of her own phone.

"Scared you'll lose, Granger?" He smirked. Although they formed a truce, it was still fun to taunt the brunette.

Hermione shot him a glare, then hit start on the game.

"Ten rounds." She said, not breaking eye contact with him.

"You're on, Granger."


	3. Round 2

hello! it's been a hot minute since I updated, thank you for your kind reviews and for adding this story to ur favorites. It means a lot! I have the whole story planned, and a looooot of ideas flashed through my head so I pray that the plot pulls through. I'll shut up now, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

Mistakes are mine, the HP world isn't tho! :)

* * *

 **2:34 am**

 **Hermione:** /stop

 **Draco:** HEY I WAS WINNING

 **Hermione:** Malfoy

 **Draco** : okay please just two more rounds please please

 **Hermione:** Malfoy .

 **Draco:** Granger .

 **Hermione:** You're too addicted to this game, we need to get work done. As much as I love beating you, we can't get distracted anymore!

 **Draco:** I'm not distracted, we finished chapter 3 earlier. You were the one who insisted on a rematch :(

Hermione rolled her eyes. _This boy._ She replied by ignoring his message and turning off her phone. _He can play by himself,_ she thought.

Stretching her hand out, she reached for the table and placed the phone on top of it, falling asleep directly after.

A few hundred feet below her room, a certain Slytherin was glaring at his own mobile device. His roommates were already sound asleep, blissfully unaware of Malfoy's emotional battle.

 _Damn it, Granger. Such a kill-joy._ It was as if the witch herself had heard his thoughts, because a few seconds later, his grip on the phone loosened, causing it to land on his face.

Malfoy felt the hot device against his forehead. He quickly removed the phone and placed it on the drawer next to his bed. Rubbing his face, he settled down on his comfortable bed and willed himself to fall asleep.

He couldn't.

The game plagued his mind, the surge of winning, the banter he shared with Granger. _Merlin, is the device charmed?_ _No wonder muggles can't get enough of it!_ He recalled reading about phone addiction for their paper, about how it can affect muggles in a social and physical aspect.

 _Am I getting addicted?_ He wondered. _Impossible._ He wasn't a muggle.

But he did exhibit the signs. He noticed that he would often reach for the device, opting to stay up late with Granger rather than sleep.

Malfoy knew that he had self-control within him. He was a Slytherin after all. He shouldn't let this device control him. It won't. Whenever Malfoy found himself in any situation, he would usually analyze every aspect of it in order to find a solution to said problem or situation.

 _This device is not a toy, Draco._ He repeated those words in his head. _This is a project, it's for research, remember why you have it in the first place._

* * *

 **THREE MONTHS AGO**

 _"One condition. Don't be rude."_

 _Malfoy pretended to be shocked._

 _"Me? Rude? Never," Teasing Granger is a fun thing to do._

 _His thoughts were interrupted by Granger calling out his name. He focused his eyes on her and smirked once again._

 _"Like saying my name, Granger?"_

 _Rolling her eyes, she extend a hand to him. He looked at it questionably._

 _"Since we're going to be partners on a year-long project, the least we can do is tolerate each other. Can you do that?" she asked. Malfoy sat down and reached for her extended hand, shaking it with his own._

 _"I surely can. Can you?" Her grip on his hand tightened once he uttered those words. It honestly hurt._

 _"I definitely can Malfoy," and with that, she released her grip and dropped their hands. He quickly glanced around the room and noticed that most of their classmates have already paired up._

 _"Settle down, pupils. I'm not sure if I already said this, but this project counts as your final exam. Over the next few meetings, we will be doing workshops on how to write your paper. I believe that you will learn better through experience, rather than a lecture." Professor droned on and on. Some students were furiously jotting down notes, the others were elsewhere, most likely thinking about how to switch electives._

 _"Muggles are non-magical creatures. They aren't blessed with the ability to cast spells like us. Despite their "disadvantage" they found other ways to perform "magic". That is through their technology. Can anyone give me an example of Muggle technology?"_

 _The hand beside Malfoy shot up._

 _"A laptop, sir." The voice said._

 _Lap top? Who names these objects? Muggles are so strange. Malfoy thought, absent-mindedly playing with his quipiz, the latest self-inking quill._

 _"Correct. A laptop is an essential among muggle students. It's a device they use to make calls, write papers, and use the Internet." The class was nodding, although most of the students were feigning interest._

 _"You must choose an object and create a complete study on it. For example, you can choose the laptop and see if it's faster and more convenient than using a quill. That is an example of a comparative study." He gave more examples, and by the time he finished and told the students to start discussing, multiple pairs started going up to him in order to ask more questions._

 _At the corner of Malfoy's eye, he could see the thinking expression that masked Granger's face._

 _Shifting his position, he turned to her and publicized his lack of knowledge on muggle objects. It's not something he's ashamed off, because why on earth would he know about that?_

 _"What kind of study do you want to do?" She asked, arm resting on the table._

 _"We have to choose an object first. What will it be?" Retrieving her quill, Hermione began to jot down a list of muggle items. None of the words looked familiar to Malfoy._

 _"When I visited my cousins last summer, I barely got to speak with them. They were nose-deep in their smartphones, using these apps," She caught Malfoy's confused expression and proceeded to explain the concept of a cellphone._

 _"Now an app, or application, is some sort of server that you have on your phone. It can lead you to a game or to a social networking site, where muggles can interact online." She finished. She expected a sarcastic and pretentious reply from Malfoy, but he was silent, as if he was telling her to go on._

 _"So it's like a port-key?" He asked, trying not to sound too interested._

 _"If you put it that way, yes and no. The only similar thing an app and a portkey have is their ability to transport you somewhere else. With the app, you aren't physically somewhere else, but seeing my cousins so engrossed in their cellphones, it can make you feel like they're not around anymore."_

 _Draco didn't ask anymore questions, which relieved Hermione. She knew that other partners would've just shrugged and pretended to understand, but she felt like Draco got her vague description anyway._

 _"Okay. Let's do it then, cellphone," He said, slowly, as if he was tasting the word._

 _They spent the rest of their time brainstorming, and by the end of the period, they settled on doing a study that will figure out if communicating through phones will be more convenient than owls. They approached their teacher and got their project approved, but due to lack of resources, their test subjects had to be themselves._

 _"My dad changes his phones regularly because he gets new ones for free. I can ask him for two so we don't have to buy one ourselves," Hermione offered._

 _The students began to pile out of the room, making their way to their next class. Draco stood up and pushed his chair back._

 _"Alright. Till next meeting, partner." He said, emphasizing the last word._

* * *

 _See, Malfoy. It's a project, not a toy._ With that final thought in his head, the boy finally fell asleep.


	4. Round 3

**Hello! This chapter is much longer than usual (okay it's longer by like . 400 words but haha). Not edited, feel free to point out errors so I can fix it :-). I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Draco showed an incredible amount of self-control over the next few weeks. Hermione wondered if he ended up finding someone else to play with, but realized that was impossible since:

1\. She fully doubts that he knew how to connect with other players,

2\. They still played at night, especially since Malfoy recently figured out how to charm the app into giving Wizard-related questions from time to time. _("You have an unfair advantage, how was I supposed to know who Peppa Pig is?")._ Despite that, they've been sleeping very early lately, as opposed to their usual all-nighter. (As early as 12 am gets, they suppose.)

3\. After a few months of getting to know Malfoy (directly and indirectly), she realized that this boy is actually kind of, _chill._ The only time he ever gets intense is whenever Harry or Ron would be there. Must be a trigger.

Now that she thought about it, why _did_ they hate one another? It has always been that way, Malfoy has always picked on their trio but she never understood why he targeted the two boys. She knew that Malfoy disliked her for being a muggle, but his recent actions show otherwise. It was almost as if he was starting to show interest in actually _learning_ about muggles and their world. _Maybe the game is getting to his head._

She knows that she doesn't hate Malfoy, because why hate on someone when you can educate them? Although it would make a rather awkward and difficult conversation, she had to tell him that _calling_ someone a _mudblood_ was bad because of the negative connotations attached to it, not because being a mudblood is a _bad thing_. Maybe it was naive of her to believe that _maybe_ Malfoy grew up, and _maybe_ they could have a mature conversation about this, but since when did believing in the goodness of someone else become a bad thing?

Besides, he had been so kind to her lately, and they definitely weren't twelve anymore. If she can let go of the name calling (that was probably caused by him growing up in a household where these beliefs were internalized), he can surely let go of his childhood grudges.

Shaking her head, she willed her brain to stop uncovering layers and overthinking. She didn't feel like doing something that serious right now.

 _Just be kind, Granger._ She told herself.

 _Go with the flow._

* * *

The flow brought her to the courtyard. There were a couple of students studying and talking around the area. She spotted the back of Malfoy's head. He was with Blaise and a couple of other Slytherins, obviously engaged in a light-hearted conversation based on the eruption of laughter she heard from time-to-time.

 _Who knew Malfoy was such a comedian. Maybe they're just being nice._ She let out a smile and continued to walk through the courtyard.

"Hermione!" Turning around, she looked for the source of the voice. Her eyes settled on Padma Patil, a Ravenclaw who was also in the same elective as her.

She walked towards her and gave a polite hello, eventually sitting down on the spot Padma patted.

 _or should I say..Patil-ed. Hah! Malfoy's not the only comedian here!_

They were positioned in a small study area under a tree, and it looked like Padma was working on their muggle-item paper. _I need a better name for that project,_ Hermione thought.

"Are you working on the Project?" The Gryffindor asked. Patil nodded.

"I'm glad that I saw you, because I really need help with chapter one." She proceeded to explain her problem, and that's when Hermione noticed something very important.

"Padma, where is your partner?" That sentence obviously hit the hammer for the Ravenclaw, because her entire mood shifted.

"You're right, Miss Granger. Where _is_ my partner?" She asked, eyes unnaturally larger. There was obviously trouble in paradise, she knew it was horrible to think this way, but she was so thankful Malfoy wasn't the type to slack off and hot potato projects to partners.

"I see," was the only thing Hermione could say.

"I got paired up with Parker Atkins," she said, with a tone full of malice.

Hermione never worked with Parker Atkins, and based on all of the horror stories she heard from the grape-vine, she was thankful for dodging that bullet.

"He's off again doing Merlin-knows-what," Padma said with a sign. Hermione ended up assisting the girl in order to distract her, and eventually the work in front of them was forgotten, talk of muggle television was soon replaced by idle chatter.

Hermione felt a sudden buzz from her bag, she instantly knew what it was (unless someone smuggled a bee into her bag). Padma was still talking about her summer trip to Palawan, and didn't even notice the Gryffindor reach into her bag and secretly look at her phone. Looking around, she tried to spot Malfoy but couldn't.

 **Draco** : Replacing me, Granger?

She did her best to type a reply with one hand awkwardly crammed inside her bag.

 **Hermione** : Yes, you can take Parker Atkins.

She got a reply a few seconds later.

 **Draco** : :(

She unexpectedly let out a laugh, and Padma, still engrossed in her story about the gigantic whale, let out a laugh, thinking that Hermione was listening.

"I know, it was so funny! You should've seen Parvati's face! Actually, I can make the same face right now, because we _are_ identical, so you can technically see it if you wanted to," She said, picking up her books and packing her things.

Hermione just smiled and started helping her with her stuff, when everything was safely inside, they made their way to their respective classes.

"See you around Hermione! Thank you for listening to me, this project is driving me crazy!" She said.

Hermione has never met a girl that talked that much, but she was also a girl that read too much, maybe that's why she liked her.

A wave of students flooded into the halls, all of them trying to make it to their next class on time. She spotted Ron and Mason walking the opposite way. Catching Ron's eye, she gave a little wave, which was later reciprocated with a (she dare-say), rather _graceful_ wave.

"Guess the dance lessons are paying off," she muttered.

* * *

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning. Light snow poured from the outside, but the Great Hall was still warm as ever.

"I feel like it's been weeks since I got to talk to you guys, like _really_ talk," Harry said, reaching for his glass of pumpkin juice.

Ron nodded in agreement. "We've been bombarded with school work," He added.

"How's Dance, Ron?" Hermione asked, genuinely interested.

"I noticed your avant-garde wave earlier." She added, taking a bite from her toast.

"Thank you, I've been practicing. It's part of the routine Coach Wendiberg crafted," He replied. Snickers were heard from the neighboring Gryffindors. Ron rolled his eyes, "Please forgive me for actually enjoying my elective!" He said, his voice much louder.

"Coach?" Harry asked, stifling a laugh. Ron huffed and mumbled something the other two didn't catch.

"How about you Harry? How's History?" Harry let out a groan. He proceeded to rant about his elective, claiming that the only good thing about the subject was "Role Play Day".

"I didn't peg you as a Role Play person Harry," Ron mused. The neighboring Gryffindors overhead this statement and decided to join in.

"Are you guys talking about Role Playing?" Lee Jordan asked, clearly amused.

"Yeah, Harry said he enjoyed it," Ron said, reaching for Hermione's last piece of toast. Hermione shot him a glare, causing him to retract his hand.

"It's not what you think." Harry retorted. Straightening his back, he began to explain Role Play Day.

"Yes, it's basically Roleplaying. We get to pick a random historical figure and we have to act like them the entire period," He said. Hermione found it very interesting, she suddenly remembered Malfoy. That git is quite good at Magical History, having beat her by two points just last night.

"Kinky," Ron said, earning a high five from Lee Jordan.

"Shut up Jazz hands," Harry shot back.

"Thank you, that's honestly very flattering," Ron replied.

"It wasn't meant to be a compliment," Harry grumbled.

Hermione and the others laughed at the exchange.

"How about you Mione?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject.

It worked, because _of course_ Hermione would love to have the chance to talk about her academics. So _of_ course the other Gryffindors would take this time to slowly turn away and started their own conversation. It was too early to listen to Hermione talk about a boring paper.

"Well, we have to write a paper about any muggle object. It's quite interesting, Mal—" Hermione was interrupted by a buzz from her bag. She glanced at it and turned around, but there was no sign of the only person who could have sent her something.

"So anyway, we're revising chapter four already and we're _way_ ahead of everyone else," she proudly said.

"What's your paper about exactly?" Ron asked.

It was as if the universe did not want to hear about Hermione's project. Before the witch could open her mouth to respond, a parliament of owls swooped into the Great Hall.

Packages, letters, and the like dropped from the air and landed on its respective recipient. One of them was Ron, who immediately got distracted because after _week_ s of waiting, his copy of this month's Quidditch Monthly was finally in his grasp.

Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors were also waiting for the said copy, so all of the attention was now fixated on the magazine.

Hermione huffed and returned to her meal. She reached for her fork and noticed a letter right next to it.

There was no signature at the back, but she knew who sent it anyway.

 ** _Hello. Check your cellphone. - D_**

She opened her bag and secretly looked at her phone. She glanced up and checked if the boys were still engrossed in the stupid magazine (they were). Unlocking the phone, she read the single text Malfoy sent her a few minutes ago.

 ** _Hello. Check your letter._**

She frowned at the message. _He's so weird._

Turning around, she tried to look for the said weirdo.

She spotted the top of his head. He met her gaze and gave her a thumbs up. Hermione quirked a brow, wondering what it meant.

Another buzz emitted from her bag, she checked it once again and was greeted by a notification.

 **Battle of the Brains: Draco Malfoy beat your score!**

 _Damn it, Malfoy!_


	5. Round 4

Hello, I'm sorry I took so long to update! I just felt like the story was super rushed so I tried my best to pace it a little. This is an AU afterall, but still haha. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

 ** _When is Dumbledore's Birthday?_**

 **Draco** : ?

 **Hermione:** July ?

 **Draco:** :O I can't believe you don't know Dumbledore's birthday :'))

 **Hermione:** I shouldn't have introduced emoticons to you .

 **Draco:** :P

 ** _Nobody got the answer. The answer is: 1881._**

 **Draco:** what

 **Hermione:** Shouldn't the question be: What year was Dumbledore born?

 **Draco:** Who cares. we both lost points for that :(

"What are you doing?" A startled Hermione looked up from her cellphone. Ron had appeared out of nowhere, or was he sitting there the whole time?

"Research," she stated, waving the phone around.

Ron sat next to her and peered at the device. Squinting slightly, he began reading their messages out loud.

Hermione quickly moved her hand away and hit his shoulder. "Why on earth are you reading my messages?" She asked.

"First of all, I didn't get to read it. I mean, I read it out loud but I didn't get to absorb the words." He mumbled. Hermione rolled her eyes. Sometimes she just wants to h-

"Hello," a voice said, interrupting Hermione's thoughts. Neville approached the two and made himself comfortable in the seat adjacent to them. He was carrying a book about…Jane Austen?

"Neville! Are you reading about Jane Austen?" Hermione asked, devoting her attention to the boy in front of her. The Austens are one of the oldest Pure-blood families. Jane, however, was a squib. That clearly didn't stop her from making her own written magic.

"Yes! We have to read about her for History class," Neville replied. Hermione was pleased that the elective was covering Jane Austen. Her works really changed both worlds.

Ron, who was excluded from the conversation, took this opportunity to steal Hermione's cellphone from her lap. He looked and read the messages once again, eyes growing wide as he realized who the sender was.

"You're corresponding with Malfoy?" He yelled, causing other students to look at the three of them.

Neville and Hermione stopped talking. She turned to face Ron, smoothing out her skirt as if she had all the time in the world.

"Yes, I've been trying to tell you guys during dinner, but everyone is too absorbed in their own business these days," She replied.

"You tried to tell me?" He asked, mentally recalling a time when she tried to tell him something.

"A couple of times actually, but anyway, Malfoy and I got paired together for our final exam,"

Neville, who was listening to their conversation, joined in.

"Oh! The one about self-phones vs owls right?" He asked, clearly proud of himself for remembering.

"How did you know that?" Hermione asked, not bothering to correct him. The boy simply shrugged.

"Basically, we have to check which method of communication is much more convenient, hence the constant flow of conversation between the two of us," She said, now facing Ron.

"How is he like as a partner?" Ron asked. Hermione expected him to throw a fit, this question was the last thing she thought she would hear.

"He's been perfectly nice and cooperative, to be honest," Ron nodded at her words.

"If he does something, anything to you, I swear I'll hex him till he disappears," Ron offered. He didn't like her choice in partner, but he knew that Hermione was smart. He had to give her that.

Besides, if there's anything he learned during his elective, it's that teamwork is important. Being groupmates with Blaise Zabini and Dean Thomas taught him that important lesson.

"Thanks, Ron, I think I can handle him myself for now," She replied, smiling at her friend.

"So, tell me about the project and the results and everything,"

Hermione appreciated her friend's attempt at catching up with her. She ended up spending a good portion of the night explaining the project to her fellow Gryffindors. (Neville had a hard time comprehending most of the muggle terminology, while Ron kept zoning out mid-conversation.)

* * *

"Okay, I finished chapter four already," Malfoy announced, shaking his right arm after setting his quill down.

Hermione and Draco worked on their paper in silence. They sat in a secluded area in the middle of the library. Tall bookshelves shielding them from anyone's view. If there was one thing they both agreed on, it was the mutual hatred over loud people in the library.

"I just finished condensing the research for chapter five," she replied, raising both of her arms so she could stretch them out, emitting a yawn while she did it.

"We can work on the next few chapters next week, or even next month if you want to," he said. He began to pack his belongings.

Hermione nodded in response and packed her own things as well. Both of their heads snapped up when they heard a voice from the other side.

Glancing at each other, Malfoy gave Hermione a shrug. They both moved towards the muffled sounds.

They peeped through the other side of the shelf and saw Harry and Neville holding up pieces of parchment.

Neville, who was on his knees, held Harry's hand and began to read from his parchment.

"I love you, most ardently. Please do me the honor of accepting my hand," He said, voice much deeper.

"Sir, I appreciate the struggle you have been through, and I am very sorry to have caused you pain," Harry said, voice slightly higher.

He continued to read his line. Malfoy was red in the face, Hermione had to jab his stomach with her elbow to keep him from blowing their cover by laughing.

"I wish I can capture this right now," He said, letting out little wheezes.

Upon hearing his words, Hermione whipped out her phone. The two stifled a laugh as they recorded the unsuspecting Gryffindors.

Harry and Neville finished their scene a few seconds later. Hermione pressed stop and immediately ducked back to the other side of the shelf, Malfoy following her shortly.

"Did you get everything?" He asked. Trying to catch his breath. They grabbed their things and walked towards the exit.

"You have a cute laugh," Hermione commented. When they reached the outside of the library, they allowed themselves to laugh freely.

"I do not," he replied, clutching his own stomach.

She shrugged and continued to walk beside him. They still had time to kill, it was the elective period for everyone and their teacher gave them free time to work on their paper again.

They settled on one spot in the courtyard. It was a beautiful day. It wasn't too warm, nor too cold. Some students were revising a few feet away from them.

"So cellphones have cameras in them?" Malfoy asked. Hermione pulled out the device and showed him the video.

"Yes, they do, that's why there's another square with a camera symbol on it. It's right next to the message icon," She replied. They watched the clip once again.

"My phone has a camera too right?" Malfoy asked, clearly interested in this new discovery.

He whipped it out and handed it to her. She unlocked it and opened the camera app, moving closer to Malfoy so she could show him how it works.

"Just click this circle right here if you want to take a photo or video," She said, taking a few sample shots of the view right in front of them.

She swiped left on the screen so it can change into video mode.

"You can also take selfies using it." She demonstrated, tapping one of the buttons and reversing the camera. Malfoy looked at his own reflection, trying to mask his growing interest.

"Let's take one," she said. Malfoy continued to stare at the screen as Hermione took a photo of them.

"What on Merlin's earth is a _selfie?"_ He asked, staring at the photo they took. He wasn't smiling, but he looked good (as usual).

"It's muggle slang, it's basically 'self photography'," She replied.

"Strange," he replied with a teasing voice.

They ended up reviewing their other notes throughout the rest of the period, eventually going their separate ways to attend their classes.


	6. Round 5

"Good evening, my dear students," Dumbledore's booming voice filled the space of the Great Hall. The students were immediately silenced. The headmaster rarely interacted with students during dinner time, so this was definitely an important announcement.

"I have wonderful news. Many years ago, there was an event called the _Triwizard Tournament_ ," He began. Whispers erupted in the hallway, a number of students knew what the controversial event was, while the others were asking their house-mates about it.

"Unfortunately, we will not be bringing back this glorious event," Groans and sounds of disappointment echoed across the Hall.

"Bollocks, it would've been sweet to see the Triwizard Tournament happen," Ron whispered.

Harry glanced at Hermione, silently asking her if she knew anything about it. She mouthed the words " _Hogwarts: a history_ ," and turned to face Dumbledore again.

"After weeks of deliberation, we are pleased to announce that the first Hogwarts Intramurals will be held exactly two months from now," He said.

Harry let out his own groan. He _hated_ sports, but he quickly realized that the games they're going to play will probably be far more interesting than muggle _straw-planting_.

"Each house will be competing against one another over the course of three days. We will be releasing a list of games you must sign up for. Each student is required to play three games," He said. Some students looked excited, while the others were a bit confused.

After his speech, dinner resumed once again. This time, the hall was buzzing with even more noise than before.

* * *

The entire school was talking about the upcoming Intramurals. Students were coming up with theories and game ideas, some were already making alliances.

"I hope they have Chess," said Ron. He was sitting on one of the benches in the hallway, sharing a box of chocoballs with Hermione.

"I'm not a fan of sports and activities to be honest," she said. Quidditch was _barely_ tolerable, but she wasn't sure if she would enjoy three whole days of cheering and playing games. Not to mention, that's three whole academic days _lost._

"I think it's a great idea, a chance for everyone to play and all," Ron commented. This was surely a sign-up he wouldn't miss.

"What kind of games did you grow up playing?" Ron eyes lit up and he immediately started listing down the games he played with his siblings.

"Fred and George love inventing games, the worst one was Weasley Chess, but no one talks about that anymore," he said quickly. Hermione made a mental note to ask Ginny about that some other time.

"There's also Popscotch, you'll need a big area for that though, you basically have to jump over written blocks but they disappear if you're not fast enough." He said.

"What happens when they disappear?" she asked. This sounded like a modified hopscotch.

"Well, a vortex is created and you fall in, but it's not as scary as it sounds!" He protested after seeing Hermione's eyes get bigger.

"Some children's game," she muttered.

"You fall and go back to the first block, that's basically it," he finished.

"Hard pass," Hermione replied. Ron shrugged and reached for the last chocoball.

A pale hand beat him to it. Instantly recognising the ring on the finger, Hermione rolled her eyes and greeted her partner.

"Thanks, Weasley, this is exactly what I was craving," Malfoy let out a satisfied smirk.

Ron, red in the face, opened his mouth to speak. Hermione placed her hand on his wrist and gave him a knowing look.

"I'll buy you another box, he's not worth it I promise you," she said.

Ron glared at Malfoy and conceded. After all, who on earth would say no to a box of sweets?

"Granger, are you done with your portion of the results chapter? I already finished mine a few minutes ago," he replied coolly.

"Who does homework during the weekends?" Ron suddenly asked. The two looked at him and gave similar questioning expressions.

"Actually, yes I did, let's piece it together next weekend?" Draco nodded, glanced at Ron, and left.

"That was extremely out-of-character," Ron noted, pulling out a tiny box of Every flavor beans from his robes.

"How long has that been in there?" Ron shrugged before giving an estimated date.

"The only flavor you're going to taste is _spoiled_ ," Hermione said.

Ron defiantly popped one in his mouth. "Christmas Cookies," he said with a smile, offering her the small box.

She declined and rolled her eyes. Padma walked past the two and greeted Hermione. The two engaged in a short conversation, and while they did so, none of them noticed Ron spit the puke flavored bean back inside the box.

* * *

"Move out of the way," Malfoy snarled. The students in front of him parted like the red sea. Today was sign-up day and if Draco ended up with a kiddie game, he'll definitely tell his father about this.

The sign-up process took place in each House's respective common rooms. It is strictly first come first serve, but if you're a Malfoy, those things don't apply to you.

Draco glanced at the list right in front of him.

He took his sweet time choosing a game that will suit him. He only needed to sign up for two because coaching counts as one.

As a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team, he isn't allowed to play it during the games. As a compensation, he accepted the coach position for the Slytherin Intramural team.

 _Some team. I can't believe we aren't allowed to host try-outs!_

Although the idea of watching an amateur match did humor him a little, he wasn't too keen on possibly getting kicked by other houses in the match.

After enlisting, Draco made his way to one of the couches. He sat next to Blaise and asked him why he didn't sign up.

"Lines are a waste of time, I made Pansy sign up for me," he replied, pointing to the witch who was shoving first years away.

"Effective,"

Blaise shrugged.

"So how's that dance group thing with Weasley?" Draco teased. Blaise let out a groan.

"It's awful, he's a terrible dancer and leader,"

Blaise started ranting about Ron and Draco enjoyed every second of it. It was rare for his best mate to lose his temper.

"I mean, how can you be terrible at dancing _and_ leading? I actually feel kind of bad for the guy," Blaise finished.

"Overthrow him then," Malfoy suggested.

"Can't, it's assigned. I can't wait to get this year over with," the raven-haired boy rubbed his face. He initially signed up to get closer to a girl he was starting to fancy, but unfortunately, said girl enlisted in another class.

"Hang in there," Malfoy sniggered.

A shadow loomed over the two boys. They looked up and saw a very irritated Pansy Parkinson.

Draco knew that she would go off in a few seconds, so he patted the seat next to him and braced himself for the rant that's about to come.

* * *

 **I'm honestly not sure where this is heading. I feel as if my description kinda gives the wrong impression, because there's not a lot of late night action. I hope you'll stick around and see what happens though! Thank you for adding this to your favorites and following. I hope I can give better content soon. :)**


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